17 dead after migrant dinghy sinks off Turkey’s Bodrum

At least 17 people, including 16 migrants and a suspected smuggler, died when an inflatable dinghy capsized in the Aegean Sea near the Turkish resort of Bodrum, authorities said. Two survivors were pulled from the water, one of whom, an Afghan national, told rescuers the boat foundered within minutes and that he swam for hours to reach nearby Celebi Island. The Turkish coastguard said recovery operations were continuing, with vessels, a dive team and a helicopter combing the area for the missing. Officials have not released the nationalities of the victims. The voyage is among the most perilous routes used by people seeking to reach Greek islands such as Kos, Samos and Lesbos—key entry points into the European Union. The incident adds to a tally of deaths across the Mediterranean this year amid ongoing crackdowns on smuggling networks and disputes among European states over responsibility for rescues and asylum processing.